I have an S type jaguar...nothing unusual there, thousands of other people also own an S type...BUT.....my S type jaguar keeps throwing up the ENGINE FAIL SAFE MODE orange light & red light.....I am also told that this is not unsual, thousands of other S type jaguar owners also have this problem.
The orange light allows you to still drive, while the red light doesnt allow you to do anything but pull over to the side of the road & come to a complete halt.
Now..... should you be on the M25 when the RED light comes on.......then you have a real possibility for a major road accident. Even when your not on a motorway, having either light come on, then its a real pain in the ***.
I have been told its a fault with the S type jaguar. The RAC, & several top garages that I have seen, all tell me that there is nothing wrong with my car. If there is nothing wrong with my car....WHY can I not drive it when the RED fail safe engine mode light comes on.
Now can anybody tell me WHY the manufacturer of the Jaguar has not & will not find a solution for this problem.
Are the manufacturer subject to court action for supplying a vehicle that is not suitable for purpose.
As a country, we have asked ourselves time & time again, WHY do we buy foriegn cars such as Mercedes, Audi, Volvo....ETC.......... I guess having a jaguar has answered this question.
I had a mercedes for 3 years, & had nothing go wrong with it all the time i had it.....then i bought the jaguar.......Guess I wont be buying another jaguar......my faith in them has all but gone.

 

What is the point.... What research have you done... Mercedes and BMW both have a failsafe mode as well. Be grateful you don't have a Toyota...That might floor the accelerator and hurl you into a tree!

Seriously, why post a slam to Jaguar on a Jaguar Enthusiast Site? Do you think Jaguar Corporate reads these? If so, you are very mistaken.

Google "limp mode" and "failsafe mode" and you will see that almost every brand employs some sort of system.

I'm not going to get into the codes that are also stored when these lights go off, if you really took it to the dealer they would be able to provide you with that information.... Then again, if you walked in ranting like you just did.... Well, the moderators won't let me type what I think the techs would say to you...

 

Yep, if you want help here just explain your situation, ask your questions, and quit bitching about the brand....

I will tell you, though, that one of the leading causes of "limp home mode" or "engine failsafe mode" is moisture getting into the throttle body. And it requires very little moisture to make that happen....

Search this forum using the keywords "limp home mode" and you'll find a number of us who have had to deal with this problem. 90% of the time, the cause was indeed moisture getting into the throttle body. In every case that I recall, the cure was the replacement of the throttle body (fortunately ours was still under warranty because it is a costly part)....

 

I'm reluctant to believe that "the RAC, & several top garages that I have seen, all tell me that there is nothing wrong with my car". Everyone semi-competent knows that any make of car with those symptoms has something wrong with it.

Do some reading of your car's handbook and it even says what to do but better still do some reading on this site and find more details. Even better, go on a BMW site and see their complaints about this and similar issues. Oh, and change your attitude or quit the site..

 

Well people.....
When a car very nearly gets you killed, I think its only reasonable to get a little testy.... & Jagv8, I have actually been into a few gargaes who have said that they cant find anything wrong with the car.....& on tuesday morning 26/1/2010 when the RED fail safe engine mode came on while I was on the M25 coming back from Gatwick airport & had to call out the RAC once again....the mechanic said after plugging in his diagnostic tool, that NO error messages were found.
I also have purchased a C recorder which is still plugged into the car & it shows NO error messages either.
One RAC mechanic said it was a "Jag thing"
Ohh & JOsworth, My other half drives a mercedes & has no problem just like i had no problem for the 3 years I had a mercedes.
I love my Jaguar, but not when it nearly gets me killed.

 

Oh please, some Jaguar techs step in and correct us (me and the Jag-ster) if we're wrong... BUT... Red MIL stores a code. Do you have a good OBD (don't know what the Euro name for it is but figure you're in the UK) scan tool or a 9 pound cheap one? Have you captured the data to see what the car is doing? A good scan tool does that. As far as reliability goes....I know of plenty of people who have more trouble with Benzes and Bimmers than I ever had with my Jag. But then again.... I don't know why I'm wasting my typing...

As far as Attitudes go.... If you actually want some help with your car, eat some crow and ask nice...Or else expect an equal or stronger response than what you give....

 

I've had enough. Sell your car. You've been misled by those who clearly do not adequately know OBD (EOBD) let alone jags. Oddly enough, people here do. You'll be much happier believing false data so just get rid.

 

Have you been to a Jag dealer for diagnostics?